LOS ANGELES - The theme for the early part of this UCLA basketball season seems clear enough. The Bruins will see how seamlessly they can blend five key freshmen into a veteran group that forwards its address every March to the Final Four.

By first indications, the process could present a glitch or two.

At one point in the second half of the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday night, Coach Ben Howland found himself a little alarmed as his youngsters allowed Prairie View to go on an 11-4 run and eat into a 25-point lead.

He quickly asked Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison to stand up and take off their warm-up jackets.

Order was restored and the Bruins were able to make their season opener largely a walk-through in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic. The Bruins advanced to meet Miami of Ohio tonight at 8, a game Howland expects to be low-scoring and a far tougher test for his young team.

He admitted the team could feel some growing pains in these first few tests.

“It's early in the season, we've had 19 practices, we played five freshmen a lot of minutes,” Howland said. “I thought they did a lot of good things.”

Collison scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, often by running past his defender for an easy layup. Aboya avoided foul trouble and dominated the area under the UCLA basket, making the Panthers earn most of their points.

Howland's biggest worry, rebounding, turned out to be no big deal against a team that didn't have a starter over 6-foot-7. The Bruins out-rebounded Prairie View 42-20. As he had hoped, it was a team effort. No Bruin had double-digit rebounds, but five had six or more.

The freshmen, who comprised the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation a year ago, drew mixed reviews. The good: Jrue Holiday managed 11 points and three steals and Malcolm Lee had some highlight-reel moments.

The not-ready-for-prime-time: Center J'Mison Morgan looked tentative and out of shape at times, finishing with just two rebounds and four points Jerime Anderson (Canyon High) turned the ball over six times in just 12 minutes.

Not that they looked particularly out of place most of the time.

“Those freshmen, they came off the bench and they were ready to play,” Collison said.

Howland benched junior forward Nikola Dragovic because of his arrest last week on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. Police say he shoved his live-in girlfriend to the ground. The City Attorney's office is reviewing the case before deciding whether to charge him. Howland said Dragovic will play tonight.

FOUR RECRUITS SIGN

UCLA couldn't repeat its feat from last year - signing the top recruiting class in the nation - but the Bruins managed to replenish their talent when they signed four well-regarded players Wednesday.

The top recruit is 6-foot-8 forward Tyler Honeycutt from Sylmar, a wing player who had gained increasing attention in recent months.

Coach Ben Howland also got letters of intent from Brendan Lane, a 6-10 forward from Rocklin; Reeves Nelson, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Modesto; and Anthony Stover, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound center from La CaÃ±ada.Rivals.com rated the class No. 14 in the nation. Scout.com put it at No. 8.

TONIGHT

The Bruins (1-0) take on Miami of Ohio (1-0) at Pauley Pavilion at 8 in the second round of the 2K Sports Classic. The game will be on ESPNU and KLAC/570.

<cutline_leadin>ON TOP: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Malcolm Lee defends Prairie View A&M's Darnell Hugee during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>CONTORTIONIST: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Darren Collison is fouled by Prairie View A&M's Darnell Hugee during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>SPLIT 'EM: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Jrue Holiday drives to the basket in front of Prairie View A&M's Tim Meadows during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>IN YOUR FACE: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Malcolm Lee shoots over Prairie View A&M's Jacoie Shivers during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>IN THE AIR: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Darren Collison reaches for a rebound in front of teammate Drew Gordon, right, during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>FRUSTRATED: </cutline_leadin>Prairie View A&M's Darnell Hugee reacts to a foul during the first half of the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>IN CHARGE: </cutline_leadin>UCLA head coach Ben Howland directs his offense against Prairie View A&M during the first half Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>SHOW OFF: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Drew Gordon reverse dunks two of his six points during the closing seconds of the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>ACROBAT: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Darren Collison shoots under pressure from Prairie View A&M's Donald Bell during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>SUPPORT STAFF: </cutline_leadin>UCLA fans cheers on their team during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>ALWAYS YELLING: </cutline_leadin>UCLA head coach Ben Howland motivates his team during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>STRETCHING OUT: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Darren Collison defends Prairie View A&M's Michael Griffin during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>HAIR-RAISING: </cutline_leadin>A UCLA cheerleader spins up the crowd during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>FOULED: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's James Keefe is fouled by Prairie View A&M's Dorian McDaniel during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>SWARMED: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Alfred Aboya is triple defended by Prairie View A&M's during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the 2K Classic at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>REVERSED: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Drew Gordon reverse dunks two of his six points during the closing seconds of the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>SHOW OFF: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Darren Collison dunks two of his team-high 19 points during the closing minute of the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>OVER THE TOP: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Michael Roll, of Aliso Niguel, shoots over Ivory McGilvery during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
<cutline_leadin>THREE IS GOOD: </cutline_leadin>UCLA's Jerime Anderson, of Anaheim Canyon High, watches a three-pointer go in during the Bruins' 82-58 victory over Prairie View A&M Wednesday. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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